Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball," will headline this year's Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism, which will grapple with the implications of the media's pattern of prying into the lives of politicians.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and local broadcast journalist Janet Wu will join Matthews for the April 13 event.
"I think we have a terrific lineup, [and] it's a very timely topic," said Julie Dobrow, the director of the communications and media studies program.
According to Dobrow, the speakers will examine how the media's tactics have shaped the political landscape. Matthews will moderate the discussion.
"We're basically going to be looking at the question of why anybody would want to be running for public office given the level of press scrutiny," Dobrow said. "This era of being under the media microscope -- what does that say about the whole democratic process and the role of the press?"
Matthews, the host of the political talk show "Hardball with Chris Matthews," has experience with both sides of the issue, as he previously served as a congressional staffer and as a speechwriter for then-President Jimmy Carter.
Also, during an appearance last spring on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," Matthews publicly flirted with the idea of running for Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-Penn.) Senate seat, only to backpedal a few days later. "I'm hoping he'll talk about that a little bit," Dobrow said.
Dukakis, meanwhile, has consistently been on the receiving end of media probes, which reached a fever pitch during his 1988 Democratic presidential bid. During that contest, the press widely speculated about Dukakis' mental health after he declined to release his full medical history.
Wu, the third participant, has worked as WCVB-TV's NewsCenter 5 State House reporter since 1983. She is also a member of the Boston station's investigative team.
The Murrow Forum, now in its fourth year, has previously brought Ted Koppel, Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite to campus to speak about the evolution of journalism.
"We've been extremely privileged to have had some incredible people who have participated in this over the past four years," Dobrow said.
The forum is named after radio and broadcast reporter Edward R. Murrow, whose coverage of World War II and criticism of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's campaign against Communism brought him into the international spotlight. Murrow died in 1965.
Tufts, which houses the Edward R. Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, has a number of documents that belonged to the late journalist. They are available at Tisch Library and the Fletcher School.
This year's forum will take place at noon on April 13 in Barnum 008.
